Objectives
To calculate the incidence of inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) damage due to lower third
molar extraction and to describe the evolution of IAN sensitivity and the prognosis
of IAN damage based on preoperative data.
Study design
A retrospective study of 4995 lower third molar extractions in 3513 outpatients.
Results
Fifty-five extractions (1.1%) resulted in IAN impairment. Cox regression analysis
showed age to be a risk factor for the persistence of IAN injury due to lower third
molar extraction. The sensation recovery rate was higher in the first 3 months. Fifty
percent of the patients showed full recovery after 6 months.
Conclusions
Most cases of IAN impairment following lower third molar extraction recover within
6 months, though in some cases recovery takes more than 1 year. Older patients are
at an increased risk of incomplete recovery of chin and lip sensibility after third
molar extraction.
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral RadiologyAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- The radiological prediction of inferior alveolar nerve injury during third molar surgery.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 1990; 28: 20-25
- Panoramic radiographic risk factors for inferior alveolar nerve injury after third molar extraction.J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2003; 61: 417-421
- Degrees of injury to the inferior alveolar nerve sustained during the removal of impacted mandibular third molars by the lingual split technique.Br J Oral Surg. 1983; 21: 103-116
- Lingual split technique. Damage to inferior alveolar and lingual nerves during removal of impacted mandibular third molars.Br Dent J. 1983; 154: 402-403
- Incidence of nerve damage following third molar removal: a West of Scotland Oral Surgery Research Group study.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 1992; 30: 78-82
- Inferior alveolar nerve damage after lower third molar surgical extraction: a prospective study of 1117 surgical extractions.Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2001; 92: 377-383
- Removing third molars: a review for the general practitioner.J Am Dent Assoc. 1992; 123: 77-86
- Development of the permanent teeth.J Dent Child. 1960; 27: 254-260
- Impacted mandibular third molars: classification and modified techniques for removal.Dent Digest. 1933; 39: 330-338
- Impacted mandibular third molar.American Medical Book, St Louis (Mo)1926
- Age of patients and morbidity associated with mandibular third molar surgery.J Am Dent Assoc. 1980; 101: 240-245
- Inferior alveolar nerve function after sagittal split osteotomy of the mandible: correlation with degree of intraoperative nerve encounter and other variables in 496 operations.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 1998; 36: 429-433
- Neurosensory deficit and functional impairment after sagittal ramus osteotomy: a long-term follow-up study.J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 1998; 56 (discussion 1236): 1231-1235
- Sensibility following sagittal split osteotomy in the mandible: a prospective clinical study.Plast Reconstr Surg. 1998; 102: 325-333
- Factors affecting neurosensory disturbance after mandibular bilateral sagittal split osteotomy.J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2000; 58 (discussion 1239-40): 1234-1239
- Effects of age, amount of advancement, and genioplasty on neurosensory disturbance after a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy.J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2002; 60: 1012-1017
- [Results of nerve sutures in the wrist in children].Chir Main. 2000; 19: 23-30
- Sympathetic skin response and regeneration of sudomotor fibers after complete division of peripheral nerves.J Auton Nerv Syst. 1996; 58: 69-75
- Management of ulnar nerve injuries.Acta Orthop Scand Suppl. 1995; 264: 41-44
- The validation of measures of outcome following suture of divided peripheral nerves supplying the hand.J Hand Surg [Br]. 1990; 15: 25-34
- Results of median nerve repair in children.Microsurgery. 1989; 10: 145-146
- Recovery of sensibility after suture of digital nerves.J Hand Surg [Am]. 1979; 4: 212-225
- Dysesthesia after mandibular third molar surgery: a retrospective study and analysis of 1,377 surgical procedures.JADA. 1980; 100: 185-192
- A classification of peripheral nerve injuries producing loss of function.Brain. 1951; 74: 491-516
- Three types of nerve injury.Brain. 1943; 66: 237-288
- Dysesthesia of the lingual and inferior alveolar nerves following third molar surgery.J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 1986; 44: 454-457
- Observations on the recovery of sensation following inferior alveolar nerve injuries.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 1988; 26: 177-189
- A contribution to the scientific assessment of degenerative and regenerative processes of peripheral nerve fibers following axonotmesis under the systemic administration of vitamins B1, B6 and B12—light and electron microscopy findings of the saphenous nerve in the rabbit.Neurochirurgia (Stuttg). 1990; 33: 113-121
- Low-level laser effect on neurosensory recovery after sagittal ramus osteotomy.Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2000; 89: 12-18
Article Info
Publication History
Published online: August 23, 2004
Accepted:
June 2,
2004
Received in revised form:
April 21,
2004
Received:
February 17,
2004
Barcelona, SpainUNIVERSITY OF BARCELONA AND TEKNON MEDICAL CENTERIdentification
Copyright
© 2005 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
